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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — hasty
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rash — a series
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — to tire
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — help
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com